Letters To The Editor

I am not a member of any private club. I am a corporate lawyer. Based upon my job assignments, my employer presumes I am not a racist. I consider that presumption to be correct.

Judges Douglas Smith and Robert Curran have been pressured to resign their memberships in a private club in order to secure their respective positions as Circuit Court judges. The American Bar Association says that it is inappropriate for a judge to belong to an organization whose practices are discriminatory. The ABA does not say that such membership is an automatic disqualification for office.

The Virginia General Assembly is free to attach whatever weight it wishes to this interpretation. I am also aware that membership in the ABA is purely voluntary, and that a significant portion of licensed lawyers do not belong to the ABA because they do not agree with its policies.

For state Sen. Robert Scott, the NAACP and its representatives and the editor of the Daily Press, the issue was one of "perception." The issue was never whether either man was qualified to be appointed or whether he had ever shown a bias toward minorities.

Perception is, at best, a subjective and sometimes nebulous observation.

The real issue was the private club and its membership policies, and these men in their vulnerable positons were simply a convenient vehicle for attack.

Racism is racism, and racism is wrong, regardless of its origion. Too often , condemnations of racism come from those who, themselves practice it. This is hypocrisy in its purest form.

N. Woodrow Pusey

Williamsburg

NOT REALLY FREE

I'm amazed by letters to the editor from people so thoroughly confused about bumper stickers and freedom.

Do these people really believe the men who framed the constitution ever intended American citizens to openly subject others to obscentiy and indecency? (For those of you confused about the definitions of obscenity and indecency I suggest a good dictionary.

Why do these people with toilet bowl mentalities always try to intimidate thinking people by including "our founding fathers," the Constitution and "freedom" in their letters defending obscence bumper stickers?

Selfish disregard for others is not guaranteed by our Constitution.

We have the freedom to do what we know is right.

When freedom is reduced to publicly flaunting infringements on common decency, then the term they need to use is anarchy. True freedom is disciplined or true freedom dies.

Bill Colgan, Jr.

Smithfield

KEEP IT LEGAL

The development of a pill that induces abortions has changed the parameters relative to controlling abortions. If clinics are closed and abortions made illegal, drug pushers will sell the pill.

The profits from the sale of the pill will be made by unregulated, illegal, non-taypaying manufacturers and pushers. If abortions are made illegal, no child is going to consult her parents, minister or physician concerning the advisability of an abortion. She will buy the pill and use it secretly.

The sale of pills for abortions will be easier than the sale of illegal drugs because the majority of the people believe taht a woman has the right to control her own body. People who are normally law abiding will become law breakers because of their consciences. Freedom of conscience, person and the right to control one's won body are inalienable rights which must not be compromised.

M.D. Evans

Williamsburg

KEEP IT DOWN

The recent controversery over congressional pay raises brought to mind new solutions for settling the issue. Since the average American citizen does not have the authority to dictate his annual income, Congress should not either.

Congressional salaries should be tied to some economic barometer. Imagine how quickly the national deficit would be pared if Congress' only salary was 50 percent of the annual reduction in debt divided by all members. But if several years later, the books balanced and hundreds of billionaires were running the country, we'd have even bigger problems.

I much prefer congressional salaries equal to the median income of the American public. Maybe then we would start to see legislation that addresses our needs. Maybe the slogan "good jobs at good wage" would take on new meaning not to mention affordable housing and transportation, decent day care and medical care and reasonable taxation for funds to support the needs of the general public.

We aren't doing ourselves any favors by opening the doors to our government only to people who think $89,500 per year is not enough.

Are we a government of the people, by the lawyers and for the rich? So it would seem, but must it always be that way?

Larissa Chew

Newport News

TOO NEGATIVE

In his bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Marshall Coleman lost one with the party leaders when they voted to use the primary. He favored the convention method.

Since his defeat, he has backed away from his pledge and promise to run a positive campaign by running negative television commercials attacking Paul

Trible.

This negative approach turns voters away just as it did in the past presidential election. This is a waste of time and money.

Instead, speak on the issues and let the voters decide. I am supporting a true leader, Paul Trible for governor. He has and will continue to do great things for the Commonwealth.